V Pellegrin (pictured above)
Piercer, Bushwick
How many piercings do you have?
Let me quickly do the math — 43. Thirteen of those are in my nose. I have one, my philtrum piercing, where I just, like, really needed to get stabbed that day to feel alive.
How did you come to do this professionally?
In college, I was a flyer person at a tattoo shop, and some of the piercers offered to teach me. That changed the trajectory of my life. I had planned to be a fashion journalist. I grew up loving writing. My father is an editor.
What does he think of your career now?
He’s learned about piercing culture to be able to relate to me. He has two holes in one lobe from when he was a kid, but he won’t let me put jewelry in them. I always say he’d look really cool with a little hoop.
Karen Abbas
Nurse and Reiki practitioner, Ridgewood
Karla Zita
Tattoo artist, Crown Heights
Chyna Gay
Stylist, South Brooklyn
Is one piercing your favorite?
I think my nostril piercings because they’re in such irregular places — they’re not traditional. People are super-curious about them. I get a lot of questions you would never ask a person walking down the street, like, “Can you pick your nose?”
Elizabeth Victoria Garcia
Body piercer, Jamaica
Do you ever get bored of piercing people?
I’m always excited, sometimes even more than my client is. They apologize to me. They’re like, “I’m sorry. I only came to get this one earlobe.” And I’m just like, “Are you kidding me? We’re going to change your whole aesthetic. I love this for you.”
Danny Pereira
Body piercer, Kew Gardens
Susie Xu
Senior manager, Hell’s Kitchen
Amanda Riojas
Artist, Fort Greene
Christine Pittet
Digital-marketing consultant, Bushwick
Aya Lehman
First-grader, Soho
What was it like getting your ears pierced?
When I saw everyone with so many tattoos and piercings, it was a little creepy at first, but I didn’t say that. I was like, “You do you!” For some reason, the first ear was fine, but for the second one, I cried a little. For both, I suffered, of course. When it was done, I was like, Whew, glad that’s over.
Starr Ellis
Piercing-studio founder, Soho
Grace Wazowicz
Brand designer, Ridgewood
Marlaena Lowery
Stay-at-home mom, Belford, New Jersey
What first drew you into getting pierced?
It goes all the way back to high school in the aughts. I stumbled upon a website called BMEzine, and I remember seeing people with all kinds of jewelry in different places I didn’t expect. I was into birthstones, and I remember thinking, Oh my gosh, I could literally stretch my ears and put an amethyst in there.
Izzy Zelichenko
Screenwriter and software engineer, Astoria
Bobby Blackman
Assistant sexton, South Brooklyn
What’s the best part of working as a sexton?
It’s a very humanitarian job. I’m a bit of an introvert, and it’s forced me to be an extrovert in a positive way — talking to people and listening to their days. It’s honorable, good, clean work, if that makes sense.
Madeline Camacho
Nonprofit manager, Bloomfield, New Jersey
Alexandria Phyllis Rodriquez
Teacher and screenwriter, Long Island City
Joe Hart
DJ, Financial District
What’d you get pierced?
I got an industrial piercing — it connects two sections of my upper left ear. It will be a long healing process. I’m applying saline several times a day and trying to avoid sleeping on it and hitting it.
Naomi Perkins
Jewelry designer, Bay Ridge
Photographs by Frankie Alduino
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